Enthusiasm for new logo growing

Enthusiasm for new logo growing

The enthusiasm for Grey County's new logo and tagline - Colour it Your Way - continues to grow.
Grey County council at its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 8 received a presentation about the new logo from county staff in the communications, tourism and economic development departments.
Asleigh Weeden, Philly Markowitz and Meredith Bowers all spoke to county council about the new logo and tagline. They explained to council that the new logo and tagline have energized their departments and they're thrilled to be able to move forward with a number of initiatives related to the new logo and tagline.
The county has been criticized in some segments of the population for the new logo and tagline. However, there has also been a lot of positive reaction to the county's efforts.
Weeden told county council that the new logo is "striking and iconic."
"This is about the story we're going to tell the world about Grey County," said Weeden. "The brand is about the feelings and emotional response people have when they hear 'Grey County'," she explained to councillors.
Weeden pointed out that in a recent study conducted about recognizing local counties - Grey ranked third from the bottom.
"The key to spreading our message is a strong and recognizable brand. If people don't know we're here they won't come," said Weeden, who is the county's Communications/Accessibility Coordinator.
Philly Markowitz - the county's Tourism Specialist - said the new logo and tagline is the perfect gift to her department.
"This is an excellent logo for tourism. We've had a separate logo and tagline for a number of years - it needed to be refreshed," said Markowitz. "The new logo - through its graphic strength - is easy to tie into a number of experiences. Whether you come to Grey County for a rodeo, for wine tasting or a film festival - you can come to Grey and Colour it Your Way," she said.
Meredith Bowers - the county's Economic Development Liaison - said the new logo is easy to re-produce, easy to identify and easy to print.
"Yesterday we were pioneers. Today we are innovators. As a county we need to be as innovative as our businesses," she said.
Following their comments to county council the trio presented Grey County Warden Duncan McKinlay with a brand new Grey County jacket embroidered with the new logo.
"I am so pleased to hear what these young ladies have said today," said Southgate Mayor Brian Milne. "I'm grateful for their enthusiasm. Anybody that thinks this is not what we should be doing should sit down with these young ladies and if they still feel that way, well then - they're hopeless!" said Milne.
Meaford Mayor Francis Richardson said there is some confusion about the purpose of a logo and tagline.
"A logo and a brand are not pictorial representations of the community. They are signatures that you put on something you're proud of," said Richardson. "I think the people that don't like the new logo because they want it to be a picture. A logo is not a picture," he said.
The Blue Mountains Mayor Ellen Anderson said she loves the new look.
"It's clean. It's defined. It says we're open for business," she said.